The Boston Celtics had lost three of their last four games — all to mediocre teams. Tonight, they finally got back on track by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-97.
Though it was a full team effort, point guard Rajon Rondo was the main catalyst. Rondo tallied 22 points, 14 assists and five rebounds. Even better Rondo committed no turnovers in 41:14.
Forward Paul Pierce chipped in 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists and forward Kevin Garnett added 20 points on 9-12 shooting while grabbing nine boards.
Forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis came off the bench for 16 points on 8-12 shooting. Davis also made a concerted effort to clear the boards, finishing with eight rebounds. Guard Ray Allen scored 13 in a sub-par offensive performance, but guard Delonte West came off the bench and made an impact that won’t be noticed on any box score. Center Jermaine O’Neal and guard Von Wafer both returned from injury. O’Neal looked solid on both ends of the court and Wafer seemed fine in his 2:21 of play.
For the Spurs, point guard Tony Parker led the way with 23. Forward Tim Duncan tallied 20 on 8-12 shooting while grabbing 12 boards.
The Celtics and Spurs came out firing. The two teams combined to score 64 points in a 1st quarter that had absolutely no defense.
Late in the 2nd quarter, the Celtics ran into an all too familiar problem. Center Nenad Krstic stepped awkwardly on his right knee on a fast break. There was no contact, but it didn’t look good at the time. Once an official announcement is made about the severity of his injury, we’ll be sure to pass it on.
Boston rallied in the third frame, overtaking the Spurs for their first consistent lead of the game. The C’s outscored San Antonio 28-21 in the quarter and entered the 4th with a seven-point edge.
The Celts extended their lead to 12 with just over 4:30 left when Davis canned a 20-footer. From that point on, the Spurs were unable to get within half a dozen thanks to jumper after jumper from Garnett.
With the win, Boston improves to 52-22. The Spurs fall to 57-18. The Celts return to action tomorrow night against the Hawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
